The Professionalization of Public Participation

Laurence Bherer is Associate Professor of Public Administration and Policy in the Political Science Department at the Université de Montréal. Her research focuses on participatory democracy, local democracy, and urban politics in Canada and Europe. Mario Gauthier is Full Professor of Urban Studies in the Social Sciences Department at the Université du Québec en Outaouais. His research work concerns urban and regional planning, environmental impact assessment, and sustainable development. Louis Simard is Associate Professor in the School of Political Studies at the University of Ottawa. His research work focuses on public participation, instruments of public action, social acceptability, and organizational learning in the environmental and energy sectors.

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Acknowledgements

1 Introduction: The Public Participation Professional: An Invisible but Pivotal Actor in Participatory Processes

Laurence Bherer , Mario Gauthier , and Louis Simard

SECTION I

Specific Context

2 Innovating Public Participation: The Role of PPPs and Institutions in Italy

Rodolfo Lewanski and Stefania Ravazzi

3 The Participatory Democracy Market in France: Between Standardization and Fragmentation

Alice Mazeaud and Magali Nonjon

4 Public Participation Professionals in the US: Confronting Challenges of Equity and Empowerment

Caroline W. Lee

5 Who’s the Client? The Sponsor, Citizens, or the Participatory Process?: Tensions in the Quebec

(Canada) Public Participation Field

Laurence Bherer , Mario Gauthier, and Louis Simard

6 Expertise, Professionalization, and Reflexivity in Mediating Public Participation: Perspectives from

STS and British Science and Democracy

Jason Chilvers

SECTION II

Actors and Networks

7 Making It Official: Participation Professionals and the Challenge of Institutionalizing Deliberative Democracy

Oliver Escobar

8 Negotiating Professional Boundaries : Learning from Collaboration between Academics and Deliberation Practitioners

David Kahane and Kristjana Loptson

9 Making Citizen Panels a "Universal Bestseller": Transnational Mobilization Practices of Public

Participation Advocates

Nina Amelung and Louisa Grabner

10 Learning to Facilitate : Implications for Skill Development in the Public Participation Field

Kathryn S . Quick and Jodi R . Sandfort

11 Conclusion: Do the Institutionalization and Professionalization of Public Participation and

the Enthusiasm for Participatory Processes Guarantee Greater Democratization?

Laurence Bherer, Mario Gauthier, and Louis Simard

Contributors

Index